Winter Lily
by Youkai Semi
Summary: Hinata, Kunoichi member of Team 8 and heiress to the Hyuuga Clan. What happens when push comes to shove? Will she be able to save her clan? [WRNG! NegHin]
1. A World of Fragile Things

_**: A/N :**_

Semi: Ok I finally did it. The first chapter of Winter Lily!

ChibiLee: Semi-sama? Weren't you supposed to put that up earlier?

Semi: Ano . . . Hai ;

CL: oye . . . ba-ka!

Semi: Hey now, don't use that tone of voice with your master.

CL: -sticks tongue out and walks off-

Semi: ;;;

CL: It's time for CL's recap! In the last chapter Sesshomaru gave the hanyou a name! But Umeko ended up being sick and Sesshomaru had to send Jakken back to Keshina for some medicine. Shippo ran into Naraku and the gang headed into the forest to look for him. Will Shippo-chan be ok? And will Sesshomaru return to the hanyo? Read and find out!  
–solutes-

**_: Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto nor the song "My Last Breath" . Have a nice day._**

**Winter Lily**

**By: Youkai Semi**

**Chapter One: "A world of fragile things."**

The early morning sun filtered through the curtains, playing across the sleeping girl's face. Strands of her short blue navy hair laid across her eyes and mouth, giving her a bit of a mussy look. The slight frown that graced her lips indicated she wasn't having a pleasant dream. Her hands laid under her face and her legs curled close to her body as if seeking comfort.

"Hinata-sama!" A persistent rapping on the bedchamber's shoji doors woke the girl who sat straight up from her futon. Putting a hand to her chest she tried to calm her breathing which was heavy like she had been running. When the person knocked again she turned her lavender-white eyes to the doors and sighed.

"H-hai?" She pulled the covers up to her chest as if afraid of what she might hear.

"Hinata-sama. Neji-sama and Naruto-kun are here." The maid announced quietly and as greeted by a din of noise in the room.

"Sh-Shimatta!" The sound of things being thrown around the room followed the exclamation. A minute later Hinata flew from the room while slipping on her sandals.

"Arigato Manna-san!" She smiled and waved back at the maid before turning a corner. The maid smiled back while shaking her head in wonder. Hinata sped along the house's walkway until she reached the front. Standing with their backs towards her stood Naruto and her cousin Neji.

Bending over to catch her breath, Hinata mentally chided herself. How could she have forgotten the mission? Tsunade herself had assigned her to accompany Naruto and Neji on this mission to complete a three man team. Well that and both Hyuuga Genins were needed for their eyes while Naruto had been placed for extra power. Though Tsunade would never admit that of course.

"Oye! Hinata-chan!" Naruto turned around and waved to her. Her heart skipped a beat at seeing him smiling at her. Straightening up, she waved back. Her heart now soaring at the prospect of going on another mission with him.

"O-ohayo Naruto-kun, Neji-Oniichan." Hinata smiled back as she greeted them. Neji turned slightly then bowed his head a fraction.

"Hinata-sama." He was still a bit cold to her, and it still hurt that he was, but somehow he wasn't as cold as he had been during the chunin exams. He was even giving her a small smile. His eyes that so matched her own didn't hold as much hatred as they use to either. It almost made her glad to know that he was even the smallest bit happy. Perhaps they could be friends instead of rivals.

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto cheered, throwing a clenched fist into the air enthusiastically in emphasis. Hinata smiled, typical Naruto. With a small sigh of annoyance, Neji followed the always hyperactive Naruto. Hinata fell into step behind her cousin, keeping her eyes upon the road ahead. It was a nice day to start off on a mission but somehow she felt it would change later on.

Hinata looked down at the road, her mind going back to her dream. It was only a dream right? But then how could she explain the pain in her chest? It was like her heart had been torn out and ripped apart. Her brows knitted together in unease.

"Hinata-chan? Daijoubu?" Naruto put his hands behind his head and looked back at the distracted Hyuuga.

"H-hai." Hinata blushed slightly, embarrassed by both her inattention and Naruto's attentiveness.

Naruto shrugged it off and turned his attention back to the road. Neji, however, knew Hinata a bit better then others and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Something was troubling his cousin. What it could be though he didn't have a clue.

Hinata looked around nervously. So far nothing seemed out of place. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. If anything happened she'd handle it. Her training would not be wasted. She had worked too hard for it to be for nothing. Perhaps the two members of her current team would finally acknowledge her.

"Oye! Naruto!" Neji called after the younger boy who was several yards ahead now. Naruto paused, hands still behind head, turned his head back and blinked.

"Nani?" He frowned slightly, carefree as usual.

"Let's pick up the pace a little. I want to get as far as possible before sundown. We've still got a ways to go so keep your eyes open." Neji explained and looked from Naruto to Hinata.

"Hai." The other two chimed together. Hinata looked at Naruto and giggled behind a hand. Naruto only smiled back. The next moment they were following behind Neji, side by side. The group ran along the tree branches, arms held slightly behind for better aerodynamics . . . faster mobility as it were. Their sandals made barely a breath of noise as they ran from branch to branch. It was the shinobi way to live in the shadows.

When they paused to rest around noon, things began to be a little better. The feeling of impending doom soon retreated to the back of the girl's mind. Though it lurked there like a predator about to pounce on it's pray. For the most part she ignored it. She really just wanted to enjoy the time she had with Naruto.

Naruto, unbeknownst to the Hyuuga cousins, was watching. Neither caught the serious look on his face. A small sweat drop appeared on his temple as he looked from one to the other. He knew they were cousins. He also knew Hinata was from the main house while the older of the two was from the cadet branch. And Neji was in essence . . . Hinata's guardian.

The Hyuuga cousins sat quietly with their eyes closed as they ate their lunch. Perfect manners seemed to be second nature to them. Naruto could almost see two sitting in a traditional styled home in traditional kimono while sipping tea like all the old folks. Well they did come from a highly respected, known, and powerful family so it really wasn't a surprise.

What _did_ surprise him was how they seemed to fit together. Yes, Hinata was usually afraid of her older cousin, and-yes Neji still had some anger issues dealing with the main house. Naruto knew this, he usually didn't it show it though. But for that one second . . . they were peaceful. They did no notice it which made Naruto smile, glad that they were getting along for once. Maybe they could even become friends, well he hoped they would if only for Hinata's sake.

"Ano . . . Naruto-kun? Aren't you going to eat?" Hinata looked worriedly at the uneaten bento. He blinked, realizing he had been staring. Laughing slightly he picked up the boxed lunch and put a hand behind his head.

"Of course!" He looked down at the homemade food and blinked again. "Hinata-chan? Did you make this?" He pointed at it in surprise.

"H-hai." Hinata blushed and looked away.

"You better hurry Naruto, we're leaving in five." Neji sipped at a cup of water made from a bamboo shoot, his eyes still closed. He reminded the younger boy of a feudal lord from ancient times. Naruto developed another sweat drop and glared slightly.

'Cold as ever the bastard. . .' He thought sullenly and proceeded to inhale his food. Surprisingly it was really good.

"N-Naruto-kun?" It was Hinata's turn to develop a sweat drop. She reached out as if to stop him but paused.

"You're a great cook Hinata-chan!" Naruto smiled and polished off the last of the food.

"Ar-arigato." She blushed again, smiling yet keeping her eyes slightly downcast. Neji watched the proceedings and frowned a bit. Hinata seemed so happy around the brat. It surprised him. Normally she was sad and unsure . . . hesitant to take pride in herself. Naruto seemed to have changed that. With every praise he gave her she became stronger. Like Sakura, Neji believe Hinata was a hopeless seedling that would never bud let alone bloom. And he knew it was partially his fault, though most of the blame laid with his uncle, her father, Hiashi.

But no he saw her budding and for some odd reason he wanted to see her bloom. He wanted to see what she could actually do if she had confidence to go with her determination and strength. For at that moment he realized she had great potential and an inner strength to rival even Naruto's. All she needed was some confidence, and the approval of those around her. Faith in her was what she needed from them, faith that she could do anything.

Shaking the though from his head, he turned to the other two. "Let's get moving." He got up and looked in both the direction the came and the direction they were going.

"We'll set up camp early tonight so let's get as far as possible before we do."

"Huh? But I'm not even tired!" Naruto complained, getting a little angry at the Hyuuga.

"Naruto? Who's the leader of this mission?" Neji frowned and glared at the younger boy.

"You . . ." The other boy replied grudgingly and picked up his pack. "Damn you granny . . ." He mumbled under his breath as he started walking.

"Hinata-sama? I need you to watch the rear. I've got the front. Let us know if you see anything suspicious." Neji turned to Hinata as he commented. The girl nodded, taking her post seriously. After all she had to be useful for something or she would just be a burden. Both Hyuugas activated Byakugan and continued their racing along the trees with Naruto in the middle this time.

It didn't take long after they started off again to realize they were being followed. Hinata caught sight of something moving along the tree branches behind them. At first it was just glimpses, but it soon materialized into a full bodied figure. She kept quiet for the first minute or two so she could make sure it was really following them.

Neji noticed it next and fell behind next to Hinata. "We're being followed." He stated quietly.

"Hai." Hinata kept her voice down and her eyes glued ahead, she didn't have to look behind to see him.

"How long?" Neji focused on Naruto ahead, wondering if he had caught on yet.

"Since we left the clearing . . . possibly before." She replied uneasily. Neji had been right about posting her and himself at the back and front. Naruto would of been too late to warn them . . . or worse. Hinata got that sick feeling in her stomach again but pushed it away. Now was not the time to be weak.

"We're gonna have to lose them if they keep pursuing us." Neji sighed slightly but never seemed to waver in determination. "I'll speak with Naruto, keep an eye on our guest for me." With that he sprinted ahead to join Naruto. Hinata blinked. Did he really believe in her that much? That was out of character for Neji, but she had to admit . . . it felt nice to be believed in. Smiling to herself as she continued her observation of the being following them, she suddenly got a flicker of something up ahead.

"Naruto-kun! DUCK!" She yelled out in desperation. When Naruto didn't listen, Neji pushed him down and out of the trees.

"What was that for?!" Naruto yelled while getting back onto his feet.

"She said duck . . . ba-ka." Neji glared at the younger boy. Hinata landed just behind them and rant the rest of the way to them.

"Naruto-kun, Neji-Oniichan!" She looked them over with a worried glance.

"Baka?! Why you . . ." Naruto was about to attack Neji when the Hyuuga put his hand up to stop him and looked around.

"Quiet! We're still being followed. Naruto, use your kage bushin jutsu then change them to us. We'll hide and find out what they want." Neji came up with an easy plan on the spot and continued to look from side to side to make sure no one saw or heard them yet.

Naruto smirked openly. He had used that little trick before with excellent results. This time, however, he planned to make it a little more complicated. He would use two sets of decoys plus the mass kage bushin jutsu to make sure they got all the information they needed. He shifted his eyes around then whispered his plan to the older boy who nodded in approval then jumped away with Hinata.

"Do you think Naruto can pull this off?" Hinata asked worriedly, her brows knitted and her eyes set on the boy's back.

"He said he could and I believe him. I've seen him do m any things that seemed impossible . . . and he's never really shown his true potential. He'll do it." Neji closed his eyes as he spoke. Remembering in vivid detail the other times he had been sent on missions with Naruto. The other boy was stronger then his loud mouth lead to believe. The Hyuuga even recalled the last bout of the Chunin exams with mild distaste. He had merely underestimated him . . . but a lose was a lose.

When he opened his eyes again it was to see himself, Hinata, and Naruto all standing in the clearing. He knew there was another set behind the first concealed in the bushes. It was an interesting diversion. He just hoped it worked. The real Naruto landed silently next to them and watched the shadow clones.

"Good work Naruto. They should be here any minute now." Neji whispered to the other two and crouched down with a kunai in hand. He was better at hand to hand combat but he wasn't bad at long distance. Naruto nodded, pulling out a kunai as well. Hinata activated Byakugan again and kept watch. Little did they know of their impending danger. What started out as a simple 'c' class mission soon turned into something much worse . . .

**End of Chapter:**

Semi:fuu fuu fuu fuu! -puts hands on hips and strikes a pose- First chapter of Winter Lily done!

CL: -sweat drops- CL thinks Semi-sama needs a doctor . . .

Semi: Nani?! Why would I need a doctor?

CL: Because Otaku has taken over! -hides-

Semi: Neh? Whatever -grins- Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll try updating it as soon as CL gets back to work.

CL: -peeks in- Hey that's mean!

Semi: -bops- Quiet child . . . oh and the next WILL be longer! I promise! -bows-

**: Teasers for the next chapter:**

A team-mate is lost and the remaining two must work together to get back home. What's to happen to two helpless Genin?! Tune in next time!

Chapter Two: "Beyond my sleeping refuge . . . "


	2. Beyond My Sleeping Refuge

**_: A/N :_**

Semi: Guess what folks? It's chapter two of Winter Lily!

ChibiLee: Oye . . . Semi-sama's always late on deadlines.

Semi: Ano . . . Hai ; Gomenasei Minna-san! -bows-

CL: -shrugs- Why not try getting it in on time for once?

Semi: Well I'm as lazy as you Chibi so . . .

CL: -face plants-

Semi: XD

CL: It's time for CL's recap! In the last chapter The gang ran into some trouble. Will things turn out alright or is something about to flip their world upside down? Read and find out!  
–solutes-

**_: Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto nor the song "My Last Breath" . Have a nice day._**

**Winter Lily**

**By: Youkai Semi**

**Chapter Two: "Beyond My Sleeping Refuge. . ."**

Hinata stared, her eyes filling with tears and was unable to blink them away. She didn't know how this had happened, nor how it ended just as quickly. Her mind raced in circles, trying to come up with an explanation and found none. Why did this happen? What did we do wrong? When had they lost control of the situation?

In front of her laid several bodies, only one form remained erect. Her body hurt to the point of black out, but she remained on her knees at least. She activated Byakugan once more and found that everyone but she and the one standing were indeed dead. She and he were the only ones left alive. Her heart felt like it was torn in two.

Her eyes fell on the figure standing in front of her. He was breathing hard and looked ready to collapse. His hair hung loose, no longer in it's restraint. His feet were set apart, one in front the other behind, and his arms hung limply at his sides. He had barely beaten the last of the group who attacked them. And it had been in a rage to avenge their fallen comrade and to protect her.

He turned to look at her, and for a moment his lavender-white eyes softened in relief and understanding. Hinata struggled and forced herself up, stumbling slightly until she regained her balance. For another they looked at each other, then Neji began to sway. Hinata noticed that his once white vest like shirt was now covered in blood. Most of it his own.

Before he fainted and fell on his face, Hinata moved with the last of her strength to his side and caught him. She struggled under his weight but she managed to hold him up long enough to drag him over to a shady tree. She sat there a minute, catching her breath and trying to collect her thoughts. Her eyes were blurry with tears, disintegrating her vision until all she saw was colors. With all her might she clung to her cousin, lifting his head onto her lap and letting her bangs shadow her eyes.

'Too weak . . ." Was all she could think. She had been too weak to be of any assistance on this low level mission. It hurt too much to even try anymore. The one she loved was gone forever, she couldn't even summon the strength to pull his body away from the battle field. She felt helpless, and worse yet . . . worthless. And now she was just so tired . . .

As the tears continued to fall from her shadowed eyes, she tired to think of something to do to protect her cousin who was still unconscious. Unable to think of anything she pulled her jacket off and made it into a make-shift pillow for him. To stop the bleeding she would have to apply pressure yet she didn't want to wake him.

Hinata looked around after whipping away the tears and found night beginning to fall. Both of them would freeze if she couldn't think of something. Then she remembered her survival training. To conserve heat team-mates would huddle together. She didn't have the strength to get up and get their bag let alone set up the tent. And his wound wouldn't stop unless some pressure was applied.

With both thoughts in mind she decided to do the only thing she could come up with. With a small yawn, and a few more tears, she laid across him using his stomach as a pillow and her own head for pressure. It would help both in the long run. Both would be warm by each other's body heat and the pressure of her head would stop the bleeding without waking him up. And it would protect Neji . . . they'd have to go through her to get to him by her using her own body as a shield.

"What do I do?" Hinata cried into his shirt. The feeling of helplessness and worthlessness flooding her senses. She hurt all over and had to somehow keep Neji alive. If she could do that perhaps she wouldn't be so worthless. Though her father wouldn't agree on that. If they pulled through this l. . . she wasn't sure but she didn't think being a ninja was what she wanted now. Not when the only one who inspired and cared about her was gone. The kunoichi soon fell asleep, just as the sun sank totally behind the mountains.

"Hinata-sama?" A soft voice broke through the girl's sleeping mind. She didn't want to wake up. If she did she would have to remember everything. A gental hand on her head, brushing away the hair that had fallen in her face, was what actually brought her out of her dreams. When she opened her eyes she found herself using Neji's lap as a pillow. She blinked in confusion.

"Hinata-sama? It's nearly noon, we better get back to Konoha." Neji looked at her then closed his eyes. She sat up and glanced around, noticing her jacket had been draped over her while she had slept. The bodies were gone, but a rouge kunai or shuriken still remained here or there.

"What happened?" Hinata turned to her cousin who opened his eyes to look over the battle field.

"The Anbu came this morning." His reply was cool, near emotionless. They sat in silence for the next minute or two while thinking of their lost team-mate. Naruto had always been so boisterous, it was hard to believe he was gone.

It was Hinata who broke the silence, "Neji-oniichan? Daijabu?" She shifted her eyes to him, her brow knitting in worry. He turned his head to look at her and nodded. Sighing in relief she got up and found their bag. If she didn't do something to occupy her mind she would surely go crazy and break down again. She couldn't allow herself to break down a second time . . . it would probably kill her.

When she came back with their bags, Neji lifted an eyebrow at seeing her digging in one of them. The kunoichi brought out a roll of bandages and a small bottle of antiseptic. Neji was amazed that she always put others first. Wincing slightly from the dried blood holding his shirt to the wound, he unbuckled and removed it to get a better look at it. It was deep enough to cause sever blood lose, but thankfully it hadn't hit any internal organs.

"May I?" Hinata asked quietly without looking at him directly. She felt it was all her fault and wanted to help. At first Neji was about to take the bandages and do it himself, but the sharp pain that shot through him when he tired to move and the look in her eyes changed his mind.

He frowned slightly then nodded his head. It was almost comical . . . a spoiled main branch princess wanting to help a cadet branch member. He would have laughed had his wound aloud him to. Hinata soaked a small portion of the bandage by tipping the bottle over it slightly, then gently cleaned the wound out with it. She felt him tense in pain and tried to be a little more careful. Once done she wrapped the clean bandage around his middle and over the wound, tying it off tight enough to keep constant pressure but not so tight as to give him major discomfort.

Neji looked over her handiwork and was again surprised that it was rather well done. He slipped his blood stained shirt back on and stood up. Hinata repacked everything as he activated Byakugan and looked around. There was no one near so the coast was clear. After a moment he looked down at the Hyuuga and frowned. Her chakra was bare minimal. Had she used the last of it to drag him under the trees to safety? His respect for her went up a notch, but that left them in a bit of a bind if they were to be attacked again. He was nearly spent as well.

"Ready to head back?" The older Hyuuga asked quietly. Hinata looked up at her cousin and nodded. That's when he noticed that her eyes were dead. She had given up. She had done what she could for him but now there was nothing left.

"Daijabu desu ka?" Neji asked gently, his voice holding concern.

"Daijabu." She replied back without emotion as she got to her feet. She slung her backpack across her shoulders then proceeded to carry the other two. Where had she gotten that kind of strength from? Maybe it was because she didn't care anymore. This wasn't the same Hinata. . . no, the person before him was dead and had no will to live. He did not have the heart to chide her on her stupidity. He had known for a while now about how she felt about the brat.

Everyone else had been blind when it came to Hinata, but Neji was always looking out for her so he knew. . . he knew she had loved Naruto. He also knew that to lose a loved one was possibly the most painful thing to go through. That your heart dies more often then not in these situations, and only a small number were able to rebound and continue living. He hoped Hinata was the latter and rebounded back.

"It must be hard . . ." Neji turned his attention back onto the road in front of them as they walked side by side.

"Nani?" Hinata never lifted her lifeless eyes from the ground in front of her.

"To lose the one you love . . . it must be hard." He leveled his lavender-white eyes at her and waited to see some kind of reaction. A flicker of light appeared but was extinguished the next moment. Her eyes filled with tears that would not fall. She nodded once, going deathly silent afterwards. Frowning, Neji began to get worried. No, this wasn't Hinata. This person was fragile and was likely to break at a moment's notice. . . he wouldn't let her break. Surprising himself he stopped, pulled her to him and hugged her.

"Hey . . . it's ok to cry when it's something like this." He held her close. At first she stiffened and seemed to want to get away, but slowly her arms went around him. He felt her hand clutch the back of his shirt then the shaking. She buried her face into his chest and let out a sound like that of a wounded animal, letting the tears fall finally. The ferocity of her tears caught him off guard and soon soaked his shirt, but he didn't mind if it made her feel better.

By the time she was finished, Hinata felt exhausted. Drained and rather sleepy again, she let go of Neji and whipped the tears from her eyes. He almost laughed when she developed the hiccups. Actually, she was rather cute at the moment. It made him wonder why he hadn't noticed it before. No . . . he had, but chose to ignore it until now.

'I was too into my anger at the main house to really notice . . . perhaps I've been a fool. Maybe she was right . . . It WAS me running from my fate, not her. She had even accepted the fact that her own father would choose Hanabi over her if he could.' Neji reflected to himself. Hiashi was a fool, and did not deserve a daughter like Hinata by Neji's mind set. The boy looked at his younger cousin and decided.

'I will never let anything hurt her again.' He thought with determination. Hinata finished whipping away her tears, looking throughly miserable and tired.

"Are you ready to continue Hinata-sama?" Neji asked quietly, this time sama was actually meant for now he really did respect her. With a small nod she gave her affirmative.

"Arigato gozaimaste Neji-oniichan." She murmured quietly, her eyes downcast and hands clasped in front of her. Neji thought a moment then inclined his head slightly.

"You're very welcome Hinata-sama . . . and you don't have to be afraid to cry in front of me. I would not think any less of you for it." He comment gently and lead the way this time. Hinata watched him with a puzzled look. Neji had only been nice to her when they had been kids . . . before the cursed mark had been placed upon his brow.

So why was it that he suddenly had a change of hear? It made her headache worse when she tried to figure it out so she let it go. There was plenty of time to ask him later. That is if they made it home safely. She closed her burning eyes and followed her cousin by sound alone. Not only did it help her eyes but it was good training as well. Now she knew how her cousin felt when he had lost his father. . . and she couldn't blame him for his anger, he was justified in it.

If only the others could understand him as well. They would get to see a side of him he never showed to anyone . . . well Hinata was the exception but still. All the boy needed was understanding. He had recognition, but no one really understood him until now. If the others could open their minds and ears they would find that Neji wasn't as much of a cold hearted jerk as he made himself out to be. Yes . . . all he needed was understanding.

It was the next morning when they spotted the gates of Konoha. Neji was feeling better so he carried his own pack. Hinata continued to carry Naruto's in her arms like a life saving device. Both of them were sure hungry now, having eaten the last of their supply the night before. The two of them had huddled together and fell asleep with their backs against a sleep.

Overall they were fine and didn't really need any attention so they took their time getting back. Neji's wound would of reopened if they had hurried. He refused to see someone once they got back, but consented to let Hinata look after it until it healed. She was a bit surprised by that but had let it go as unimportant.

"Hai, we'll have to go in sooner or later. Might as well get the hard part over with ne?" Neji looked at his cousin with concern, noting the pained expression still in her eyes.

"Hai . . . let's go then." Hinata took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started foreword. Neji watched her a moment before following. She had inner strength all right . . . it jut refused to come out sometimes.

Hinata paused in her tracks and stooped to pick something. Neji blinked then understood. It was a dark red rose like flower that was almost black. A rather pretty color. It was the flower of 'lost love' as the tips of the petals were black and was placed by the person's spouse or family among the white ones on their grave. The 'blood drop' flower bloomed only once a year so it was rare. Though the florists kept them going all year long just for these special occasions.

To find one just outside the village had to be a sign. It was the perfect flower for Hinata at the moment and he knew she'd be the only one to place one on his grave. Stooping down as well, Neji picked the only remaining 'blood drop' and held it in his hands. No, he would place one as well . . . he owed the brat his life and might of one day been family.

The two Hyuuga's stared at their flowers, nether needing to say a word. For now they would mourn by themselves while no one but each other watched. It was easier to cope this way, and Neji knew Hinata didn't want to seem weak in front of her father . . . nor did she want everyone to know her true feeling for the Usumaki.

For the moment all the Hyuuga cousins needed . . . was each other.

**End of Chapter:**

Semi: -sniffs then burst into tears-

C.L.: Semi-sama . . .

Semi: I'm so evil . . . why did I have Naruto die?

C.L.: Plot Semi-sama, plot. Now will you stop crying all over me?

Semi: ; . . . Gomen Chibi. This is the first time I've killed a character . . .

C.L.: -face plants- -; Oye . . .

Semi: Anyway I hope you all enjoy. Oh! And uh . . . please don't hurt me! -hides behind C.L.-

C.L.: Hey!

**: Teasers for the next chapter:**

The gang attends a funeral and mourn the lose of one of their own. But can anyone bring Hinata out of her depression? Tune in next time!

Chapter Three: "Gomenasei"


	3. Gomenasei

**_: A/N :_**

Semi: Konnichi wa Minna-san! -bows- Here's the next chapter, sorry about the wait lol.

ChibiLee: Semi-sama's good at the ebil cliffies.

Semi: Eh heh -sweat drop- Gomenasei. I hope you like this new chapter of WinLil!

CL: WARNING! C.L. Cried while writing this. Tis a sad sad chapy. -tears-.

Semi: Hai, gomenasei for this a well. -hugs Chibi- Tis a very good title for this chapter . . . I hope you like it.

CL: It's time for CL's recap! In the last chapter the Hyuuga cousins made their way home after discovering the Anbu had already taken Naruto's body home. What will they find once they get back home? Read and find out! –solutes-

**_: Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto nor the song "Gomenasei" . Have a nice day._**

**Winter Lily**

**By: Youkai Semi**

**Chapter Three: "Gomenasei"**

Hinata sat hugging her legs outside her bedroom door. That was usually what she did _**if** _she came out of her room at all. It took many attempts to get her outside her room. If that weren't enough she wouldn't speak to anyone either . . . nor would she eat unless forced to.

No one could blame her though. The whole village had been shocked at the lose of the young Usumaki. The boy had been so boisterous and determined to become the next Hokage hat people half expected him to. They had learned later that the group of people the make shift team had defeated had been sent by Orochimaru. Thus had saved the village by defeating them.

It had been a terrible cost for such a thing. Every child in the village was precious, even when they were Genin. Naruto had been the child of the village, having been orphaned as an infant. No one expected him to sacrifice his life at such a young age. It was cruel of fate to turn things this way.

The Hyuuga heir hid her face in her knees to hide the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. The family thought it odd that Hinata grieved so, but Neji knew the truth. He knew how much she had cared for Naruto . . . even if she didn't say so herself. He didn't think anyone else knew or understood that.

It was only when Neji came around that Hinata came out of her shell. She would walk with, and speak with him. If anyone else tried they got no response from her. Not even her team-mates or got much of a reaction and she totally ignored her sister and father altogether. Neji often wondered how he liked it . . . being ignored like nothing as he had done to Hinata. Though Hanabi seemed to want her sister's attention now.

The older cousin paused to look at the Hyuuga clan's heir. Most of the family would probably be disgusted at such a display of weakness. Neji, however, wasn't bothered by it. What did bother him was that she never smiled. Not even with him would she even give the smallest of smiles. It was as if she was only a shell now with no emotion. If things kept going the way they were she would be useless to the clan and unfit to inherit.

Reluctantly he turned away and headed into the main building. Hiashi sat watching his younger daughter. The man could be rather heartless at times, but others he really showed he cared. He motioned Neji to have a seat next to him. Neji complied and watched Hanabi along with him. The younger daughter was improving, if a bit slowly.

"That is enough for today Hanabi. You may go. Make sure o be ready for the ceremony later." The head of the Hyuuga clan dismissed his younger offspring then waited for her to leave before turning to Neji.

"While we have no other audience I must ask . . . is there a way to bring my Hinata back?" The look of the worry in his eyes caught the boy by surprise. The lord had only once shown him respect, but to confide in him . . . it was an honor. He looked away and thought a moment. Closing his eyes, he sighed heavily.

"It is difficult to say . . . affairs of the heart are often hard to . . . see clearly?" Neji paused a moment. "Losing your love is a harsh thing to deal with." He dropped the clue and looked the man in the eye. He saw the light of understanding begin to glow a moment later and nodded slightly.

"So na . . ." Hiashi closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky.

"She might recover if given a little more time. I can not be sure though . . . and she will be changed greatly either way." Neji continued looking at the floor.

"I leave it to you then. If anyone can help her it would be you." Hiashi stood up and left the room without another word. Neji sat stunned in mute silence. That . . . had been unexpected.

'Help her huh? Haven't I been trying? He thought dispassionately as he got up and went to the door. He put his forehead to the intricately designed shoji door and closed his eyes. He had been trying . . . but she still remained closed off. After a moment he pulled his forehead away and slid open the door. Hinata had retired to her room while he had spoken with her father.

Hinata curled up in a corner of her room. Her eyes staring at the room around her yet not seeing it. The tears from earlier were dry now, she wanted to cry but was too tired to. If her heart hurt anymore she felt she would die. No one would care if that happened . . .

In her mind's eyes she recalled her dream from the night before the incident. It hadn't been a good dream . . . if anything it had been prophetic. At first she had ignored it, but other times like now she looked back and wished she had paid more attention to it.

:Memory-Dream Scape:

"Hinata!" Naruto waved her over to the camp site. It was beginning to get dark, the sun sinking below the horizon behind him. She felt her cheeks flush as she approached him.

"W-what is it Naruto-kun?" She put her index fingers together, realized what she was doing and put a hand to her chest instead as she paused in front of him. Before he had a change to answer, Neji stepped into the clearing with some firewood in hand.

"You two mind helping?" He glared slightly and dumped the bundle of logs on the ground. She giggled behind a hand as he dusted his hands off. Naruto laughed and made a small fire pit. The wind flickered the new flames but wasn't enough to put it out.

"It's cold tonight . . ." Naruto smiled brightly as he poked at the flames.

"I didn't think it would be . . . but I guess it can't be helped." Neji sat down and warmed his hands near the fire.

"I can make some tea to warm us up." Hinata suggested hesitantly, once again pointing her index fingers together nervously.

"That would be nice Hinata-sama." Neji leaned back on his elbows without looking away from the fire. Hinata smiled, digging into her back to find said tea. It only took a second for her to pull out a small silver tin with a small sigh of relief. Things were so peaceful for the first time in a while. It was rather pleasant to spend quite time with Naruto, even Neji was being cooperative for a change.

"Is there anything you can't do Hinata-chan?" Naruto looked up from the fire, laughing lightly as she nearly dropped the tin of tea. The female Hyuuga blushed deeply, unable to answer. Everything changed so quickly the next second that they didn't even have a chance to respond.

Two men landed into the clearing, each throwing shuriken. Hinata was hit in the back twice while the boys took the brunt of the attack trying to protect her. Then just as quickly . . . it was over and the men had vanished.

:End Dream Scape:

"Hinata-sama?" A persistent voice roused the girl only a little. "Hinata-sama, wake up a little could you?" The voice asked again. This time Hinata awoke fully from her stupor like trance. Had she fallen asleep? It seemed she had. Her blurred eyes finally focused on the person before her. Neji knelt beside her, his brows knitted in worry. Wait . . . worried? Neji was worried? She gave a slight nod to indicate she was awake now.

"You haven't eaten at all today. The funeral is this evening at sun down." Neji spoke quietly while picking up a bowl from a tray he had brought in. The soup in it steamed lightly, sending it's enticing sent to fill the room. He held it out to her but she didn't take it.

"Eat, it'll make you feel better." Neji encouraged his cousin, placing the bowl in her hands. Hinata looked doubtfully at the soup as Neji poured a small cup of tea. She didn't feel like eating. Her stomach was all in knots and refused to settle. She watched Neji a moment then gave the soup a look of someone who expected to be seeing it again in a few minutes. Gingerly, Hinata raised the spoon to her mouth and took a bite. It was surprisingly good, and had yet to make a reappearance so she took another mouthful. Little by little the bowl was emptied.

"Here, it's your favorite . . . white Jasmine." Neji handed her a cup of tea and took back the bowl. How had he known Jasmine was her favorite tea? She blinked at him over the rim of her tiny tea cup. Did he really know her that well?

"Arigato ..." Hinata turned her gaze into the cup.

"Do itashimashite Hinata-sama. Why don't you get some rest before the funeral." Neji picked up the tray and headed to the door.

"Neji-oniichan?" Hinata asked barely above a whisper. Neji turned to her and blinked.

"Hai?"

"I don't think I can go . . ." She felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes but refused to cry again.

"I'll take you, just get some rest." Neji gave her a small smile and left. Hinata moved from the corner to the futon in the middle of the room. She placed her cup above the head then climbed in. She knew he was right . . . she needed rest, but it hurt so bad to dream. The tears came again and soon she was asleep. Neji stood outside her door, his head hung as he listened to her cry herself to sleep. He didn't know why but it hurt to see her like that. Perhaps he had been wrong about the main branch . . . or at least about her. Turning away from the shoji door, Neji left Hinata with turbulent feelings and thoughts that conflicted each other.

Hinata stood side by side with Neji, watching the funeral procession. A crisp white shroud was placed over the coffin, a sign of his lost innocence. The picture above it showed a smiling boy with his closest friends . . . his team-mates. That was what he would of wanted. He was never really accepted by the village until now so they placed a picture of hat he cherished most . . . his friends.

Of the Rookie Nine, only seven remained. One dead and his team-mate declared a missing nin. The last remaining team-mate of team seven stood with tears falling down her cheeks. Sakura was taking it a badly as Hinata was, now with out team-mates. No one had expected a rookie team to fall apart so completely, least of all the team itself.

One by one the adults paid their respects, each stopping in front of the casket to pray for him and place a single white rose on it's top. It would surprise him to see everyone crying for him, having believed while alive that no one cared. But they did, accepting him while heartily as the hero he had been proclaimed at birth by Yondaime himself. It was only now that they saw the legacy the Fourth had left them . . . to late to help the boy who had so badly needed to be loved.

The last ones up where the Rookie Seven and the intermediate Gai's group, each one standing around the coffin forming a circle. They had accepted him him for who he was. He had been pain in the butt, but he had always been a true friend to all of them. He had shown them each kindness that they needed and in return they had befriended him. They had all been on missions with him and knew what the adults did not. That he was legendary . . . as his father before him. It was only today that his true origins had come to light.

Naruto . . . was Yondaime's **_only_** begotten child. He had sacrificed himself to seal the kyuubi in his own child to save the village. Knowing that **_only_** Naruto would be able to suppress the kyuubi and no one else. In a way he had sacrificed Naruto as well, but he had hoped the village would follow his word . . . that Naruto be treated as a hero, **_not_** as a demon. They ignored it. Now they truly saw him as the hero Yondaime had said he was.

The rookies all bowed their heads in prayer then placed their flowers on the coffin Hinata and Neji going last of all and lacing the 'Blood Drop' flower that family would have put. The others looked at the Hyuugas for a moment, understanding what it meant. All of them knew how Hinata had felt about Naruto so it was no surprise to see her put the 'Blood Drop' on his coffin. The adults were, as usual, confused but said nothing. Neji took Hinata's elbow and lead her gently away from the crowd so no one could see her cry.

He knew she hated seeming weak and also knew it hurt her more then anyone else to be here. They all watched the Hyuuga cousins leave then went their own ways as well. Naruto's name would be etched onto the 'Lost Nin' stone the following morning, so they could all pay respects again when things settled back down. The silence they left was absolute, not even the birds chirped in their threes.

'Gomenasei, Naruto-kun . . . I'll be stronger next time. I promise.' Hinata prayed silently as she and Neji made their way home.

As the sun fell behind the mountain of the Hokages, the last of it's rays fell onto his coffin as if inviting his soul to join it in final rest.

**: End of Chapter:**

Semi: -sniffs then burst into tears again-

C.L.: Now now Semi-sama . . . it was a beautiful ending, don't be sad -pats on back-

Semi: It was wasn't it? -sniffs again then hugs muse- You did great Chibi-chan.

C.L.: Aw, thank you Semi-sama. Now that that's over, let's move on. Next chap will be happier ne?

Semi: Hai -smiles- Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry it's so sad but as Chibi says it'll be better in the next chapter -waves-

**: Teasers for the next chapter:**

Hinata's still depressed and is helped a little from a unlikely source. Neji calls a meeting of the rookies and works out a training plan to keep them all busy.

Chapter Four: "Carry On"


	4. Carry On

_**[: A/N :**_

Semi: wow . . . ; sorry Minna-san! -bows-

ChibiLee: Semi-sama's been busy with lots of things lately so she hasn't been able to type up much of what she's got written.

Semi: Gomenasei! -bows again- I hope you the fourth chapter of WinLil! Also major thanks to Jory-kun for always being there during my dark times and helping me out. -hugs- Much appreciated WingBrother!

C.L.: Also, this is a shortish chapter . . . we should have the next one up on the 15th of next month.

_**[: Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto nor the song "Wash Away Those Years" . Have a nice day.**_

**Winter Lily**

**By: Youkai Semi**

**Chapter Four: "Carry On"**

Hinata approached the 'lost nin" stone with the air of someone who'd rather be anywhere else but where they were at the moment. Her feet felt like lead and her heart nearly the same. Neji had suggested that she take a short walk to improve her health, claiming it would do her a world of good to get some fresh air. She decided not to argue and soon found herself in front of the 'lost nin' stone.

The Hyuuga's lavender eyes clouded over with renewed grief and pain. Why had she ended up here of all places? Fresh tears slid down her pale cheeks as she saw the newest inscribed name on the stone . . . Usumaki Naruto, the sun glittered off the name as if paying it's own respects to the lost boy. There were others, so many others on the stone – the price payed with blood during the war with the Kyuubi. It was almost funny that he was now listed among them.

She sat back on her heels, closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. In her mind's eye she saw Naruto as she had when she had first met him. They had both been young children then and newly enrolled in the academy. Hinata had watched him joke around and play pranks, discovering a soul much like her own. One that wanted to be recognized and yearned for love. That was how, when, and why she had fallen in love with him. .. . and aspired to become as strong as he was.

A small sound from behind brought her back to the present. Hinata turned on the spot and come face to face with none other then the Kazekage himself. The boy was young, around sixteen or seventeen she estimated, but was quite capable of carrying out the duties of Kazekage. Gaara of the sand had been made Kazekage when his father, the previous Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru. Then he had been saved recently from the Akatsuki by the rookies and team Gai.

Hinata watched speechless as the frightening man before her walked up to the 'lost nin' stone and went down on one knee. He closed his eyes and bowed his head without saying a word. For several minutes he said nothing, nor did he raise his head. I was almost eerie.

"Of all the people I have known . . . not one deserved as much respect as he did." The words that finally issued from his mouth shocked Hinata. She watched as he opened sad eyes to look at her, showing her he meant what he said. After a moment of silence she gave a small nod and looked at the ground with renewed tears. Gaara turned to face her then sat down Indian style.

"He had more honor then most nin . . . some of which have none at all." Gaara looked away as he spoke. Hinata automatically knew he referred to himself and Sasuke, but unsure how she did.

"Not many know what true honor is . . . is isn't pride like most think. It is a willingness to do what is right no matter what the consequence." Hinata replied quietly, looking up at the tree tops to see two birds dancing through them.

"You are wise." Gaara actually smiled, almost laughing but sobering the next moment. "So let me give you some food for thought. It is hard to lose someone you hold near and dear to your heart. It hurts more then anything else in this life. But here's the question . . . when do you let them go to give both of you peace and go on living? He will always be in your heart, a part of your soul even. But he is no longer here. He has gone to a better place where is is loved unconditionally and no longer feels any pain. I believe he'd want you to live, Lady Hinata. Not slowly kill yourself as you are now doing." The seriousness in his eyes and voice spoke to her soul. For the first time in weeks she felt a live and whole again.

"Why are you telling me this?" Hinata asked cautiously, feeling strange that the once cold blooded murderer now Kazekage was talking to her like an old friend.

"Because, like you, I lost someone I loved . . . not your kind of love, but still. He had been the only one to treat me as a human being with kindness and not as a monster. Just remember what I said. It'll be hard, but you are alive-so live." Gaara got up as he finished and brushed himself off. "It is the way of life Hinata. You live then die, but it's up to you _**to**_ live . . . and to choose _**how**_ you live." He turned with those final words and left just as he came, leaving Hinata slightly puzzled but feeling a little better.

As she pondered his words a bright green, black, and blue butterfly landed next to Naruto's name on the stone. "You're telling me to listen to him aren't you?" She smiled, knowing Naruto was giving her a sign. "I've been a baka haven't I?" She whipped her eyes and laughed as she got up and took the last few feet tot he stone. Smiling sadly she kissed her fingers then placed them on Naruto's name.

"Goodbye . . . Naruto-kun." She whispered quietly, her bangs hiding her eyes as she smiled then turned and left without looking back. If she had she might of seen Naruto smiling sadly back, cupping the butterfly gently in his hands. He raised them to the sky and let the butterfly go. It danced up to the sky, higher and higher until it finally disappeared from sight.

Neji sat with his back against a tree on the edge of the village. In his hands were a blank scroll and a writing brush. He looked at it, mulling over an idea he had gotten last night while tossing in bed. He had been unable to sleep because his mind was constantly on Hinata. It was . . . odd to be fixated on his cousin, but he was afraid she might do herself harm if something wasn't done soon.

He heard several 'thud's and looked up to see the other seven rookies. His own team-mates, Rock Lee and Tenten sitting down directly in front of him while the others spread out from either side. Hinata's team-mates looked rather gloomy, Shino kept his head down while Kiba and Akamaru stared at the ground. Sakura seemed to be having a worse time then the others, the black band on her arm was a reminder that she'd lost both her team-mates. Ino, shikamaru, and Chouji sat next to her.

The Hyuuga pushed his long white sleeves back after putting the scroll and brush down. It was hard to see everyone so depressed . . . they _**all**_ needed something to take their minds off of their lose. Perhaps what he had in mind would benefit everyone, not just Hinata. That brought his spirits up a bit. If this worked it would help everyone in more then one way. It'd get their minds on something else _**and**_ they'd be training themselves without knowing it. It was a great idea.

"We are the last of the Rookies, with the exception of one who could not be here. We have lost two of our own, one killed an the other turned missing nin. This is a harsh reality, especially to the one member left of team Seven." Neji looked at to Sakura who had begun to cry again. "But there is still ten of us left. I believe if we stick together we can pull through this. The adults are taking care of the hard stuff and leaving us to do the minor things. All of us have shown great potential and the ability to take on anything that comes our way. Yes it was usually Naruto who did the most . . . and we know that. But now I think it's our turn to show them what we can do.

"Naruto changed us all and made us stronger. I think we can go even further and make sure his memory doesn't go in vein. If we work together and teach each other and ourselves then nothing could stop us. We'll put team-work to the max and work as one. We will know each other's moves, work with them and against them, to balance each other out. We can also create moves to do as such and some that can only be worked as a team. All of this will help us to get our minds off of our lose. We are the future of this village, and the world. Let's make sure they remember us as such." Neji finished his little speech and put his fist out. The others nodded and put their hands on top of his. They weren't smiling but they agreed.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Kiba frowned slightly, crossing his arms.

"We are going to train Inuzuka. As I said the adults are busy so they can't train us. We are going to train and spar as much as possible. When the Chunin exams come up in a month you all will be ready. Plus it'll help Hinata . . . she needs this the most out of all of us." Neji replied and closed his eyes.

"Do you think . . ." Sakura stopped herself, looking torn between two choices.

"I think kunoichi training for us four girls would benefit Hinata and work like you suggested Neji." Ino looked from Sakura to Neji as she spoke, knowing what Sakura was going to ask. Neji put a hand to his chin and nodded.

"Hai, it would. All right, Sakura I'm leaving you in charge of the girls' kunoichi training. The four of you will work together on it after regular group training. Is that ok with you?" Neji asked gently, knowing _**this**_ distraction was for her alone. Sakura nodded solemnly. Ino smiled slightly and put an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Care if we join in?" A familiar voice caught them off guard. They all turned to see Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara watching them.

"Konoha and the village of sand working together as you suggested would benefit everyone don't you agree?" Temari asked with her usual smile.

"It would keep the other villages in line for a little while at least." Gaara added coolly.

"Actually, it'd be great to have you." Neji thought a moment before replying. "Though, don't you have a lot of work as Kazekage, Gaara?"

"I've left a dependable informant. Besides, it seems I'm needed here more. One grain of sand can tip the scales as they say." He shrugged slightly and seated himself directly in front of Neji, indicating they were of equal status and partners for the time being. Kankuro sat at Gaara's right ad Temari sat with the girls.

"Well, we're lucky to have you. Perhaps our fates have been changed, luck does seem to be on our side anyway." Neji looked over their group, scratching at his chin for more ideas. He was surprised when Gaara began drawing in the sand between them. No one else seemed to notice since they all had collected into groups to discuss the ideas.

_**Hinata is feeling better**_

_**No Need to fear**_

The words struck Neji as bewildering. He watched the Kazekage wave a hand over the words which then disappeared without a trace. He wasn't sure what to say, he never even guessed Gaara of all people to have a heart . . . that is after the Rock Lee incident. But here he was, helping them, and actually caring about Hinata. Neji looked the Kazekage in the eye and nodded his thanks, who inclined his head in acceptance.

"So, Sakura. How are we going to work on our kunoichi skills?" Ino plopped down on the grass in front of the elected kunoichi teacher.

"Well . . . we've all gone through this training before so . . ." Sakura trailed off into thought. After a moment lightning struck her brain. "Ok, Neji wants us to work as a team right? Why don't we each teach the others what we're good at!" She smiled a true smile for the first time in a long while.

"I could teach flower arranging." Ino tilted her head as she commented quietly.

"Fashion and strength are my forte'" Temari grinned, leaning back on her fan.

"Hm, weapons are pretty much all I'm good at." Tenten laughed nervously, putting a hand to the back of her head as she did.

"Ok, I can teach chakra control . . . that's the best I could come up with." Sakura laughed then looked at Hinata. "Now if Hinata-chan could teach us her style of grace and agility we'd be set." Hinata blinked then looked around at the expectant faces.

"H-hai. I can teach agility." She blushed slightly, feeling nervous that they were actually asking her for help.

"Alright, well that's settled then. We can each go home and come up with a teaching plan. Tomorrow we'll select some to start us off and begin training." Sakura put a fist on her open palm to show her determination. So far, Neji's little diversion plan was working. They were focused on training and not their lose.

"Well that's no problem. I bet I could get us some flowers from our shop." Ino smiled brightly, happy that Sakura was blooming again.

"Sounds like fun Ino." Sakura smiled back. Now that Sasuke was out of the picture the two were actually being nice to each other. Which surprised the other girls a bit.

"Uniforms might give us that 'team' feel." Temari put a finger to her mouth and looked up at the sky.

"I could help with that." Hinata added hesitantly.

"Really?! That'd be great Hinata." Temari grinned again. She had heard from Gaara about this girl and was happy to hear her join in.

"Ok, meeting adjourned. Meet back here tomorrow." Sakura laughed and got up. The others did the same, whispering excitedly. She watched them leave, feeling the sadness return once they were out of sight. She stood there until a reflection off of something caught her eye. Turning her head she saw what the light was reflecting off of . . . the 'missing nin' stone. As she watched with gathering tears, a beautiful green, black, and blue butterfly flew up into the sky.

"Goodbye . . . Naruto." Sakura smiled through her tears and waved at the departing butterfly. It danced and weaved until she could no longer see it, leaving a small trail of sparkling dust in it's wake.

_There is a legend that, when a person dies their soul turns into a butterfly so it can return to heaven. _

**[End of Chapter:**

Semi: -tears- A truly beautiful ending Chibi . . . truly beautiful.

C.L: Hai, and now Naruto-kun can rest in peace.

Semi: Hai and who would have thought that Gaara would comfort Hinata-sama? -giggles-

C.L: -hides- GOMEN! CL knew there hasn't been much fluffy and now she puts some in between Hina and Gaara! -hides more- But CL promise more Hina-Neji fluff in next chappy!

Semi: Yep, Chibi's been bad. But look foreword to the next chapter folks because it's gonna be good! -dances- Keep an eye out cus it'll be here on the 15th of December!

**[: Teasers for the next chapter:**

Neji peeks in on the girl's training -snickers- And Tsunade sets the groups out on missions! And what's this? A new member of the teams?! Look foreword to it!-winks-

Chapter Five: "Tomorrow I Will Change."


	5. Tomorrow I Will Change

_**: A/N :**_

Semi: yipes . . . I should be locked away for being so darn late. (omg, a year?! -shot-)

ChibiLee: Semi-sama's been way busy with stuffs . . . not to mention getting sick for a week.

Semi: Gomenasei once again everyone, I hope you enjoy this edition of WinLil

C.L.: LONG chappy this time! . . . we should have the next one up on the 15th of next month.

_**: Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto nor the song "Bitch" . Have a nice day.**_

**Winter Lily**

**By: Youkai Semi**

**Chapter Five: "Tomorrow I will Change"**

Neji frown heavily. Everything had been going fine, till now. Hinata had even been smiling, the first real smile in months. It had cheered him to see her enjoying herself, however much he tried to deny it. Watching her laughing with her fellow kunoichi caused a smile to appear on his lips. Oh he had tried in vein to suppress it, but found he couldn't help himself. She just seemed so happy for once.

But as the group of females finished up for the day, the dark cloud came back to hang over the Lady. Neji felt his heart drop to the bitter bile of his stomach. It took all his willpower NOT to go running out to her, to keep himself where he was. He didn't know why he had such an urge to comfort her, but he did know it wouldn't do either of them any good. So he forced himself to remain where he was, hidden among threes. Watching as the sad girl forced herself to get up and move long.

The Kazekage had told him she would be ok. That did not seem to be the case here. If she was to pull through this, she would have to do it herself. She needed to believe in herself. To see that she was needed, wanted even, but mostly to see that she was loved. No one could live without love, it was like a flower without the sun, and it was the only thing that Hinata was missing now.

Oh yes, Neji could see now that her love for Naruto had been the only thing keeping her going; keeping her together, from falling apart at the seams. The others hadn't been cruel, but nor had they been very kind. He had beaten her to a pulp in the exams himself, and never said a kind word to her. The older Hyuuga regretted now more then anything else. His pride, however, would never let him admit it out loud.

Neji looked away from Hinata, noticing a similar dark cloud hovering over Sakura. Of all the other rookies, she seemed to be taking it even harder then Hinata. Though the pink haired kunoichi somehow managed to hide it much better then the Hyuuga. Now she was a lone ninja with no team. Even her sensai still had at least one member of his, but she had none. Hinata had her team to support her, as well as Neji and his. Sakura Haruno had no one.

With a long withdrawn sigh, Neji deactivated Byakugan and rubbed at his sore temples. He was becoming altogether too emotionally evolved in this situation. If things kept up, all the rookie teams would fall apart. The grown ups didn't seem to be concerned about the genins. After all, death _was_ apart of life and nearly all of them had lost someone along the way.

The older Hyuuga crossed his arms and leaned against the tree who's branch he was perched on. Staring out at nothing in particular, he let his mind wonder where it would since all tis thinking was giving him such a marvelous headache.

Yes, they may ave lost someone. But Naruto had somehow made himself the glue that bound the genin together-almost like family. Now having lost that glue, they ere falling apart and wondering lost-deliriously searching for something they'd never find. Which brought up the questions; 'Could they perhaps, make a new glue to hold themselves together?' 'Was there a chance thy could form a new kind of glue, together as a whole, instead of one being the glue for them?'

All in all it was a very long shot. He had hoped his plan would have done just that, yet t was failing miserably. How had things gone so wrong so quickly? It made him feel powerless . . . and he hated it.

For a moment Hinata had the prickly sensation of being watched. She paused in her tracks to look around but saw no one in range. At first she was about to turn around and just keep going, yet the small tugging at the back of her mind would not leave her alone until she activated Byakugan for a second look. Not to far away was a solitary figure sitting among the trees.

Odd this, no one sat in a tree by themselves ... usually anyway. However, she knew of a few who liked to be alone. One at that distance wouldn't be able to see what the kunoichi group was doing. Normally this was true, but she also knew that one of those that liked to be alone had the same ability as she-and knew how to use it much more efficiently at that. So it could only be one person and explained why she had felt like she was being watched.

'Neji must really be worried.' Hinata's eyes darkened with sadness. She hadn't wanted to worry her cousin, though it seems she had, unintentional as it was. Somehow everyone always worried about her. Frowning, she registered that she was using self pity again. Shaking her head fiercely to detach the thought. The doubting, belittling, voices caused her to be short sighted and ignore those around her.

"Hinata, the fifth would like to see you." A voice spoke out from behind the distracted Hyuuga. With a loud 'eep' of surprise, she spun around to face the intruder. She found herself face to face with her team-mate. Mentally letting out a soft sigh of relief, she quickly gave Kiba a slight nod.

"What does she want?" Was what she asked, but the other interpreted it as 'Is she in a bad mood?'. Kiba chuckled momentarily before waving off the question.

"Eh, I'm pretty sure its just a mission." He began to lead the way back to the village, leaving a still worried Hinata to follow at his heals. She paused before leaving the clearing to look over her shoulder. But Neji was already gone. Frowning again, she hoped he would be alright.

She turned resolutely and continued to follow Inuzuka back to the Hokage tower. Her stomach clenched painfully at the thought of having to deal with another mission so soon. Leaving her with a rather painful cramp in her midsection. Just th thought of having to fight was making her nauseous, so what would she do once she was actually out there again?

Hinata watched the ground pas under her feet as she walked. This always seemed to help her to think straight. It would have to be important if she needed her for a mission. Either that or the fifth thought she needed some kind of distraction. The latter appeared to be the most plausible since Neji was the best with the gentle fist technique. She wasn't bad at it-but she still had a ways to go to catch up with her cousin.

With a silent groan of frustration, Hinata dreaded finding out what she was needed for. Her feet felt like lead and her tung was sticking to the roof of her mouth. She really did not feel like striking out on a mission at the moment.

Being distracted, Kiba was able to pause and ruffle her indigo hair. She looked up in surprise to find the Inuzuka grinning at her. Hinata blinked in confusion, totally stopping in her tracks to look at her team-mate.

"Hey, everything will be ok. I know you don't want to do this right now . . . you don't need to worry, I'm sure Tsunade knows what she's doing." He gave her a reassuring smile while Akamaru barked in agreement. She couldn't help but give a grateful smile back to her comrades and received another pat on the head.

"You'd be fine." Kiba chuckled lightly, taking the lead once more.

"Thank you Kiba-kun." Hinata smiled at his back. Kiba raised a hand into the air to show he had heard, but otherwise made no comment. They did not need words to understand each other. They were team-mates, as close as any siblings-bickering included She felt very grateful to her 'brothers' for always being there for her. And like them, she would do anything for them just as they would for her or each other. Besides, there was more to family then just blood. Her father was a prime example of the opposite.

The fifth sat back in her chair, knitting her slender fingers together while closing her eyes. It was times like these when she had to count to ten ... slowly. And if that did not help, she counted again. She had no excuse to pummel someone. That would have been good, if disasteris, outlet for the woman with the shortest fusein Konoha. Luckily, everyone knew to stay away when her temper flared up like this.

It was particularly bad when Shizune hid her sake. You just did not mess with Tsunade's liqure. Drinking, as only a few knew, helped her drown out her sorrows and, at times, cooled her temper. Then again it also ignited it on those rare other times so it was like playing russion roulette Better to keep her away from it all together.

The hokage opened her eyes slightly, still deep in thought. She needed information. Badly. And the Anbu squad she had sent out to retrieve it had yet to return. Things were not looking good in every aspect of the phrase.

Her only options weren't to her liking either. To send another Anbu squad would be a waste, they needed them here. That left only the rookies. They were kids, but she had faith they would get through. Most had gone through worst then this anyways.

She concidered each one in turn. There would have to be a Hyuuga on either team. Two teams, one to go towards Rain and the other to Mountain. She did not like the gossip coming from those areas. Well, she would have Neji on one team and Hinata on the other. Sakura would be useful incase someone got hurt, and thought Shino wasn't a med-nin his bugs could come in handy for the other team.

'Might as well add some brute force to the mix. Kiba and Lee would be best there. Looks like team eight and most of team Gai it is.' Tsunade mentally tallied it up, finding the mix to be the best she could come up with.

'Hinata would be more at ease with her own grou. Neji can work with anyone.This shouldn't be too hard for them.' The fifth let a sly grin pass over her half hidden lips. She had seen them pull off things much harder then this before.

It wasn't that the kids needed a break, they had not had a real mission since Usumaki's "death". They really did not need a distraction either. She doubted that they new that she knew what they were up to. The whole idea was rather clever, or so _she_ thought.

Tsunade expected nothing less from this group of remarkable children. As a matter of fact she now expected more since finding she had set the bar too low at the start. They were the next generation, capable of very great things.

Oh yes, many great and wonderful things, and she would make sure they lived up to those expectations.

The fifth frowned yet again. Hiashi had not taken his daughter seriously, and from what she had heard he was about to disown her forher lack of progress the past month in favor of Hanabi his youngest. Usumaki's death had taken quite a toll on the girl's heart. Naturally, love did that.

Basically, what this lead to was a confrontation. Pride and honor getting in the way of course. The Hyuuga clan leader pissed her off, she stepped on his toes as a threat to shut him up, and finally ended with her as the victor. As usual. Besides, it was only he who did not see her progress. She did not think anyone else noticed that she was fast surpassing even Neji.

The quiet drumming of her fingers on the solid wood desk soothed her, if only a little. Other then the drumming there was only the soft ticking of a clock. But unlike the drumming, the ticking was beginning to grate on her nerves. If they did not show up soon she would most likely smash the thing to sate her irritation.

As her hand inched towards the heavy stapler on her desk, a cat appeared in a puf of smoke. Her silver eyes watched the fift's ichy hand wearily as she approched. On delicate white paws, she jumped up onto the edge of the desk and regarded the blond buxom beauty.

"You sent for me Godaime?" She purred out soothingly with a small inclination of her head.

"Yes, it is good to see you again Nidiva. I assume everything went well?" Tsunade smiled fondly at the cat, putting her chin in her folded hands once more.

"Well indeed.All five of the kittens survived and are ready for trainning." Nidiva replied in a happy chirp.

"I see. You did very well Nidiva. Thank you, I have high hopes for them. Kakashi's dogs gave me this idea, yet I don't think its been done. We will have to see. I can't make any promises once they're in service, but I'll do my best to look after them." Tsunad sat back, her blue eyes locking with the cat's silver. The cat regarded hr a moment before bobbing her head in acceptance.

"We cats know of the Shinobi way, after all is it not the two-tails that is one of our own? I knew the dangers when I agreed to this mission, you needn't fear." The cat purred out lightly, her eyes closing slightly in understanding.

"Well then, I thank you once more. As for trainning. I think I've got just the crash course for them. I'll be sending them out with Hyuuga Hinata. Which ever does the ebst wills tay with her while the others will be given other tasks. Should be interesting." Tsunade grinned mischeviously.

"That it will. Thought, I think Yami would be best for the Hyuuga girl." Nidiva looked up in thought or a moment.

"Yami?" Tsunade inquired with a raised brow.

"Yes, the only female in the litter. She's rather rambunkous, and out going, which would suite the Hyuuga as she is the opposite. The boys are all a bit timid but want to prove themselves, too much like her." Nidiva explained calmly as if reporting on the weather.

"You have a point. Alright, we send Yami with her. Please have her ready in twenty minutes." Tsunade smiled then patted the snow white cat on the head. Nidiva purred a moment then nodded.

"Right away, Godaime." With that the cat bowed by tucking one front paw under her belly then vanished in a puff of smoke just as she had appeared.

The male Hyuuga teen paused and raised an eyebrow as he saw a white cat with a small dot discoloration on her forehead slink past him. The cat reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place just who. Besides, what was a cat doing here?

As far as he could tell, the ninja had only trained dogs and didn't keep many cats. With a shrug he continued to follow the ver quite bug-nin. Shino had not said much other then to tell him Tsunade wanted to see him. He was not sure what she wanted, though he could guess it was mission.

That worried him. He had seen Inuzuka approach Hinata as Shino reached him in his tree. Could they be going on a mission together again? It seemed unlikely . . . and yet, Tsunade was known to do strange things at times.

Neji was pulled from his thoughts as familure voices reached his ears. He rounde another corner to find the fifth's office and several other rookies. His own team-mate, Lee, among them. Blinking in surprise, he reached the door first and proceeded inside.

Tsunade sat at her desk withShizune and Tonton by her side. She didn't look particularly happy, but she didn'tt look pissed either. One good point already in their favor. Lee took a place by Neji's right side while Hinata's team stood together, leaving Sakura to stand on Neji's left between him and Hinata's group.

The hokage regarded the group for a moment then grinned. "Exactly on time, excellent. Now, here are your missions. Neji, I want you, Lee, and Sakura to head to Rain. Gather as much information on Orochimaru's movements as possible. Stay hidden and do not engage unless absolutely nessissary. Shino, same goes for your group, only you're heading to Mountain."

"But, isn't that a job for Anbu?" Kiba spoke out in mild confusion.

"Normally, yes, but we need what we have here. I wont lie, its a dangerous mission, and very important. I don't need to tell you the sevarity of the situation." Tsunade replied cooly, her eyes piercingly serious.

The grou shuffled uneasily under her gaze, and were taken aback when she smiled. "Oh yes, one other thing. Hinata step foreward for a moment please." The girl began to sweat in mild panic. It didn't last long though, for once she got to the desk Tsunade had a ruler in her hand. Panic was replaced by outright fear.

"Now, hold out your hands and close your eyes." The stern voice the fifth used made her comply without question, but fear was still present. While her eyes were closed, Tsunade lifted a finger to her lips to quiet the others and winked. Without a sound the ruler change into a dark gray kitten with bright green eyes.

Sakura nearly blew it by laughing, quickly saving herself by covering her mouth in time. Hinata frowned, waiting for the ruler to smack her hands. However, the smack never came. Instead, something warm, soft, and furry was place in her hands-startling her.

With a loud 'eep' of surprise, she almost dropped the kitten. The group behind her fell into hysterical giggles, even Tsunade was laughing. Blushing a deep red they hadn't seen on her in over a month, Hinata couldn't help but laugh with them.

"This is Yami, an in-trainning nin-cat. She wil be going with you and is now your partner as Akamaru is Kiba's." Tsunade smiled at her little joke as well as seeing Hinata becoming more like her old self.

"Nice to meet you!" Yami grinned her cat grin and held up a paw in greeting. There was a renewed bout of laughter which quickly died down.

"I expect you can try out several of the new tricks you've learned from Kiba now. And maybe make a few of your own." Tsunade let slip that she knew their secret then looked over them again. "You leave in the morning. Now go on, I have work to do." She smiled again, shooing them out. They all bowed and left, Yami riding in Hinata's hoodie much as Akamaru rode in Kiba's.

"Here." Kiba stopped Hinata in the hall then put a ninja band around the cat's neck like a coller. Now the cat looked just like Hinata.

"There, she's more then just a partner after all. She'll be like Kakashi's dogs and Akamaru combined. She'll be able to do nearly anything with you." He smiled then ruffled the cat's ears.

"Really?" Yami pipped up with a big smile.

"Yep. Just you wait Yami." Kiba grinned at the kitten.

"Thanks again Kiba-kun. It looks good on her." Hinata giggled quietly.

"It makes her look just like you." He smirked.

"Stop teasing her Inuzuka." Shino commented lightly while pushing his sunlasses up the bridge of his nose. The all laughed and headed outside. Neji, however, hung back to watch his cousin.

'Good luck, Hinata-sama.' He thought to himself before joining his group. With his back turned, he didn't see Hinata pause to glance back at him.

'Good luck, Neji-Onii-chan.' She smiled then disappeared around the corner leaving much unsaid.

Hinata once again woke to a tapping on her shoji door. This time it wasn't urgent, but hesitent. She blinked up at her celing a moment thinking she might hav drempt the knocking. Another knock came after continued silence.

"Hinata-sama? Are you awake?" A voice called softly, trying not to wake the servents She sat up, her thick comforter falling away in a tumbled heap to reveal a loose jade green tan top night shirt. She sliped out of the warm futon, padding quietly over the cold floor to the door. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she gently slid open the door.

"hmm?" Her sleepy mumble was rather cute. Neji's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, quickly recovering to hide his shock. Hinata was wearing a rather short tank top that revealed her mid-drift and a pair of matching shorts. Quite the sight to behold first thing in the morning, and not a bad one at that.

"The teams will be leaving soon. Better hurry so you can get breakfast before we leave." He commented non-cholantly, as if speaking to a beautiful mussy haired kunoichi was a typical morning stroll.

"Hm? Oh alright. Thank you Neji Onii-chan." Hinata gave him a smile, getting a nod in return before he turned and walked back down the hall. She watched him go, a small puzzled smiled playing on her lips. Had she _really _just seen him blush? Her eyes looked down at what she was wearing and nearly fainted from embaressment. A bright red tomato couldn't hold a candle to the color of Hinata's face as she quickly closed, locked and leaned against her door. To her surprise, she heared herself begin to giggle.

'Its not like he hasn't seen me in ometing like this before.' Her smile spread to her ears, her eyes gaining a merry sparkle. That was a side of Neji she hadn't seen before.

"Mmeeaaa... hhh." Yami crawled out from thefuton, stretching and yawning to show her sharp feline teeth and claws. Hinata laughed out right. It was still a little strange to have a partner. The gray kitten tilted her head and reguarded her human with cool green eyes.

"Aren't the teams leaving at six? Its already five-thirty." Yami asked innocently. Hinata blanched, staring in horror at the kitten.

"S-shimatta . . ." The next instant, the blue-black haired kunoichi was flying around the room, gathering up her stuff and changing clothes at the same time. She hit the kitchen at a dead run, snagging an fried egg sandwich before racing outside.

Stuffing her arms through her jacket, sandwich still in her mouth, she hurried off to the entrance gates with Yami grinning on her head. The cat didn't say so but being on Hinata's head was like riding a roller coaster, really-really _fun_ roller coaster.

By the time they reached the gates, the kunoichi was out of breath. Her sides ached and her head spun just a little, but she made it.

"Better take a minute to catch your breath there Hinata. You didn't have to run the whole way, Neji told us you might be a little late." Kiba grinned at his kunoichi team-mate. _No-one_ could say she wasn't cute when she was flustered and looking wind blown.

"W-what time is it?" The girl heaved out, clenching her sides a moment longer before straightening up.

"Five-fourty-five." Shino's simple answer made the girl face plant onto the concrete.

"Y-yami!" She whined, sitting with her knees under her and groaning in dispair. Said cat mearly grinned from atop her head. Kiba couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"She's as bad as Akamaru." The inuzuka had one hand holding his stomach while the other pointed at the sly looking cat. The puppy in question barked an affirmatie from his hoodie. Shino nodded a moment later.

"You did that on purpose didn't you, Yami?" Hinata raised her eyes to the cat on her head, her voice only a little chiding in rebuff.

"Moh ... I sorry." The kitten purrd and licked the girl's forehead in appology. The smile never leaving her little kitty face.

"Forgiven." A hand snaked up to scratch the kitten behind the ears as she stood back up. Scrunching up her brows she looked around, they were the only ones there. As if reading her mind Kiba gave her an answer.

"Team two as already left. They wanted an eary start, so they left around five-thirty." The look of disappointment was not lost on the Inuzuka. Inwardly, he smiled. She was getting better thanks to Neji . . . he would have to remember to thank her cousin next time they saw him. He didn't know what they would do if they lost her. They'd lost to many friends as it was, he'd rather not think about it.

"Let's get moving, the sooner we get there the the sooner we can come back." He grinned, leading the way ut of the gates. With broad smiles each, they left Konoha. None knew that it would be their last look at their home, nor that one of them wouldn't be back until years later.

**End of Chapter:**

Semi: And that's it for chapter five. -grins-

C.L: Took ya long enough. Oh and nice cliffy ... again!

Semi: . . . -growls- Its not _my_ fault my muse decided to take a vacation.

C.L: HEY!

Sin: She has a point. -shrugs-

C.L: But, CL was tired . . .

Ele: Oh _that's_ original. (lol)

Semi: Eh . . . oh well, at least she's back.

Sin: True, but for how long?

C.L: grr . . . -starts hissing-

Ele: Alright, cool it cat-girl! -smirks-

Semi: Enough bickering, let's get back to work. Thank you all for continuing to read Winter Lily. If you have ideas or suggestions please send us an e-mail! TTFN!

**: Teasers for the next chapter:**

A few years have past, one of the genin sent out on that mission did not return-but who? Find out next time on Winter Lily.

Chapter Six: "Time Cannot Erase"


	6. Time Cannot Erase

_**: A/N :**_

Semi: Well, lookie! We got this one up on time! -giggles and grins-

ChibiLee: (...) Finally yes? (lol)

Ele: We DID tell you to me be nice to her Semi.

Sin: And she HAS come up with some new story ideas . . .

Semi: Hai hai ... but does that seriously constitute a year long break?

Ele/Sin: -facedesk-

CL: Eh heh (;) -runs away from Semi, muses and the editors-

Semi/Ele/Sin: Get back here baka kitsune! -chases after the hyper muse-

C.L.: Yet another longish chappy this time, and once again we should have the next one up on the 15th of next month. Till then ...

All: Ja ne!

_**: Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto nor the song "My Immortal". Have a nice day.**_

**Winter Lily**

**By: Youkai Semi**

**Chapter Six: "Time Cannot Erase"**

The snow drifting down in thick flakes made the village hidden in leaves seem much colder then it was. Trees, forest floor, everything was covered in sparkling white stuff. The sun reflecting off of it hurt the eyes, but also caused the snow to look like billions of tiny faceted diamonds. It was a beautiful sight . . . except for the large black stone jutting out of the whiteness.

A shiver crept its way up the stiff broad back of the male walking tensely towards it. He was hesitant and anyone could tell he really didn't want to be there. But today was a special day. He had promised to place flowers here on this day every year, and he had kept that promise for the third day in a row now.

The others all understood. They would come and place theirs later in the day. Until noon it was his alone. Again, it had been that way for three years running. Because, today was _her_ birthday.

Hinata would have been seventeen today.

Neji took the last few steps to the 'Lost Nin' stone and set his flowers down. He'd have knelt had there been no snow, so instead he bowed his head a moment in prayer. So many had been lost that year. Three were not much older then children . . . well early teens was only slightly older then a child after all.

Three years had past, but not the pain, and many things had changed since then. The male Hyuuga no longer sported the 'caged bird' seal. He was now eighteen, a Jonin of top rank, and soon to be placed in Anbu. The late placement was mostly because he asked for it.

It had come as a surprise to the whole village when his uncle, Hiashi, went against his clan's councilmen. The leader of the Hyuuga clan, after loosing his daughter, had decided he had had enough. He removed Neji's seal, named him his heir, and gave him the authority to do what ever he deemed necessary for the good of the clan.

However, instead of further stepping on the councilman's toes and forestalling a family feud, Neji chose a diplomatic approach. They had a year to find someone who could beat him in a fight. The rules were simple. If the person they found was able to beat him he would step down and have the seal once again placed on his brow. Should they not find one they forfeit, and if _he_ won . . . he was leader with no further contestation.

The end to that came over a year ago, just after he had turned seventeen. Suffice it to say he was still without the seal and it would remain that way. It unnerved him just a little when everyone placed the honorific -sama at the end of his name almost immediately. Time would help he was sure.

Opening his pale lavender eyes, he looked at the names carved into the stone. One was written. Only written because they had never recovered her body, and so could not confirm her death. Written because _he_ wrote it there. She deserved the honor.

Usumaki Naruto

Hyuuga Hinata

Funny that their names were placed together as if, though denied each other in life, they were now together forever more. If there was life after death, Neji was sure this was true, and that they were happy. He hoped with all his heart that it was true.

"They say ... 'You never know what you have until you've lost it'." The male flicked the long pony-tail hanging over his shoulder backwards and crouched down to be level with her name. He ran his index finger tenderly over his own writing, his face the picture of regret and sorrow.

"Its not the same without you, Hinata." His whisper gave away the hurt he hid from all the other. Granted they could probably see it in his eyes from time to time, but he still tried to hide it. His use of only her name without honorific was yet more proof, as he now considered them equals

"Hanabi is doing well. I've convinced Uncle to allow me to train her, and ease up on her a little. He doesn't want to lose anyone else, so he agreed. She's a genin now, I think she was placed with Kurenai. Your old sensei is pretty protective of the girl, its rather amusing at times.

"Then again she's probably hurting as much as I am. She has been through losing a student before so its possible that its harder on her then myself. Perhaps that' why Tsunade placed Hanabi with her.

"Kiba and Shino still blame themselves. Sakura-chan and I have been working with them on it. Its coming slowly, but they _are_ getting better. Yami wont choose another partner either. She's a loner and usually can only be found by Nidiva."

Neji stopped there to think if there was anything else to report. It was very hard keeping one's self from breaking down. He had to remind himself that he was strong enough to hold his emotions in check. Then he remembered something.

"Oh yeah, the council wants me to choose a bride after I succeed Anbu. Because its such a dangerous job, they would like for me to have heirs early in case something happens. They have Hanabi as a trump card, but they'd rather I follow their wishes. Maybe it _is_ time I moved on. I'm sure that's what you would have wanted." He paused again, letting the swirl of emotions over take him for a moment.

"I miss you Hinata-sama. Please rest in peace. The caged bird only sings for you." Neji let himself say what he couldn't say in front of the others. Silently, he got up and returned to the bustling of Konoha.

Several minutes later he was interrupted by a livid Hanabi. "NEJI-NIISAMA! Tsunade has news! She wants to see you right away!" The girl practically danced in place, her own matching lavender eyes never leaving his face. Something was definitely up.

"Thank you Hana-chan, please return to your exercises." He replied calmly, placed his hands in the arms of his sleeves and waited. Hanabi nodded, turned around and went back towards the Hyuuga compound. He watched her turn the corner before setting out for the Hokage tower.

'Must be important if she's calling for me.' The Hyuuga thought grimly. Since the lose of his cousin he viewed missions as if they were a barrel of snakes. They were never taken lightly, which was most likely the reason he was getting into Anbu.

Tsunade drummed her fingers on the desk before her. Trying to figure out a way to best approach this little problem. Coming straight out with it would likely be best ... but what about the Hyuuga? She could only hope Neji didn't go ballistic.

'Small wonder why the Anbu corps hadn't found the body.' She mentally growled, gnashing her teeth together in frustration. This was going to be difficult.

"Nidiva!" Godaime called out, quietly hoping no one would hear her. The white cat appeared on her desk in the usual puff of summoning smoke.

"Yes, Godaime?" She asked cautiously, eying the blonds hands to make sure she didn't have something to throw.

"I need Yami here. Now." The blond put her head in her hands. "If anyone can help with this its the Dark-Stalker." She mumbled in desperation.

"Its that bad huh? Give me two minutes to get her." The cat turned to leave.

"You've got one." Tsunade lifted her jade eyes to the cat's silver ones. For a moment they stared at each other, then the cat bobbed her head and disappeared as a knock came at the Hokage's door. Straightening and collecting herself, the blond turned to the door. With a calm she didn't feel, she called out to the knocker.

"Come!"

"You needed to see me, Tsunade-sama?" Neji stepped into the room with only mild hesitation. The Godaime still had a fierce temper and well known for chucking things at unsuspecting heads.

"Yes. Get in here and shut that door." She responded while picking up a sheet of paper. The Hyuuga complied, shutting the door and moving to stand in front of her desk. Within moments Nidiva and Yami appeared on a said desk facing the Hokage like himself.

"Godaime?" Neji's brows knitted together in apprehension.

"We have just received intelligence of a young person with the Hyuuga eyes. A man near Rain reported seeing said person." Tsunade began slowly, her eyes skimming the page.

"That's ... odd. Male or female?" The leader of the Hyuuga frowned heavily. There was no way ... Understanding dawning on him a moment to late. Anbu never found her body.

"Female . . . but there are ... er, complications." She continued hesitantly.

"Such as?" Neji wanted to grind his teeth in frustration. What was going on?!

"One: She is supposedly terrified of men. Two: She wont talk to anyone and is very hard to find. . . and Three: .. well, see for yourself." The hokage held up a finger as she counted them down then passed him the paper.

_Possible Missing Nin of Konohagakure_

_Of Hyuuga-clan?_

_Fairly young, female._

_Males can not approach, impossible to locate._

_Last seen with two small male children,_

_of same lineage due to eyes, who were heard_

_referring to the female as 'mother'._

_Request course of action and _

_a member of Hyuuga-clan to assess the situation_

_and possible capture._

_Sand Anbu Corps_

Neji re-read the request several more times in mute shock. This made no sense. A female from Hyuuga? With two young children? He was sure none from his clan had been taken. If they had it hadn't been recently.

"It could be _her_. Tell no-one about this until we can investigate further. Is there anyone in particular you'd like me to send?" Tsunade interrupted his train of thought.

He swallowed the hard lump in his throat so he could answer. "Not necessarily, I'll choose someone and send them over immediately. I assume they'll be taking Yami?" He asked quietly while looking at the cat. Godaime nodded an affirmative.

"Then I'll let you get back to work. Expect them in no more then half an hour." Neji replied and went to the door as calmly as he could. No, he wouldn't get his hopes up. Not today of all days. He'd get an Anbu clan member to go. If nothing else they'd bring whoever it as back for questioning. He left the room, closing the door behind him with a light snap. The Hyuuga was lying to himself of course, because inside he was trembling like a harp-string.

A young woman watched her twin boys playing in the snow. It wasn't often they were allowed to play outdoors so they went out it with great abandon. They were nearly two; their birthday a little less then a month away. The fifth of January.

The boys loved playing outside, and despite her fears she let them. She wouldn't repeat past mistakes made by others. Making her own as she went along like any other mother on her own as such a young age. Seventeen was young after all, but she made due with what she had.

Both boys had already shoulder length blue-black hair like her own, and pale lavender eyes that once again matched her own. They had no trace of their father in their looks or personality. Something she was very grateful for. They were loving and beautiful little boys.

"Hizashi! Hanishi! Its time to go inside now." She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and called to them. The boys turned at her voice, grinned and ran back to her crouched form as quickly as their little legs could carry them.

"Kaa-chan!" They burbled happily as they threw their small arms around her neck.

"Did Zashi-chan and Ishi-chan have fun in the snow?" She giggled and kissed their blue-black locks as she dusted the snow off of their thick hakama and haori.

"Hai! Snow fun!" Ishi replied with a big grin, helping her to brush the snow off his clothing. He wore dark blue and gray.

"Can we play more 'morrow?" Zashi asked with a small worried frown, he too helping his mother get the snow off of his deep red and gray outfit.

"We'll see sweety. If its not too cold." Their mother smiled warmly and brushed his hair from his face. Standing up, the boys each took one of her hands.

"Bath?" The boys asked in unison with matching grins when they turned to the house, glancing up at their mother to confirm her answer.

"Yes, we can have a bath." She laughed softly as she lead them the few feet to the door.

"Yay!" The twins cheered and raced to the bathroom once the door was opened. She, however, paused on the door step. Adjusting her thick kimono as a chill crept up her spin.

Something was about to happen.

Without a sound she turned to look out at the forest beyond. This was its edge, after about ten feet in, it gave way to desert. An odd anomaly, but it served its purpose. A few miles past the last of the trees was the tiny village of Kohoshi, a branch of star. Their symbol was three small stars.

As its named implied, it was a rather small community. But despite what she wanted it was her village now, as well as her children's. Should they choose so, they would one day wear the ninja band of their village. If not . . . the caged bird awaited one, if not both of her small boys.

A shudder went through her body. No. She had seen what that had done to her family in the past, and she wouldn't allow that to happen again. _That _was the only thing that kept her from returning to her home-her own village. The fear of one of them having to be rejected kept her here in Kohoshi where the boys had been born and made part of the village. They were happy and wanted here.

:FlashBack:

"Kiba-kun! Please wait up!" Hinata called out to her team-mate, her brother at arms. Kiba glanced back and chuckled.

"You're slow today Hinata!" He turned so he was running backward, teasing the Hyuuga heiress.

"Stop showing off Inuzuka. We're on a mission." Shino reprimanded the dog boy then paused on a higher branch to allow their kunoichi member to catch up.

"Arigato Shino-kun." Hinata managed to wheeze as she landed on the branch below him. She placed one trembling hand on her chest and the other on the three's trunk for support. It was a week into the mission and they were just a few hours to their destination. Unfortunately they had been tracked since day break, which meant no stopping unless absolutely necessary. This reminded the kunoichi too much of her last mission.

"Mer, Hinata-sama . . . why are you upset?" Yami was quick to pick up on her partner's moods.

"Its n-nothing, Yami." Hinata stumbled only once in her speech, a feat in itself.

"Come on Hinata, we've beaten the bad guys before. We can handle it. Besides, this gives us a chance to prove our training worked." Kiba tried to comfort his friend, receiving a small smile in return.

"H-hai. Arigato Kiba-kun." Hinata smiled, a little reassured for the moment. Then Akamaru started growling.

"Time to move. Try to keep up Hinata." Shino interrupted, jerking his head in the direction they needed to go before sprinting off himself. Hinata and Kiba gave a small inclination of their heads then followed at the bug-nin's heals.

It didn't take long for their stalkers to catch them up. There was no time to react and Hinata found both her team-mates knocked out before she could even blink. The next thing she knew, a needle had been jabbed into her upper arm. A cold sensation began to spread from there while her mouth was covered to keep her from screaming. Her arms and legs pinned so she couldn't move.

"Heh, too easy. Konoha shouldn't let their prized kunoichis run around so unprotected. Throw the cat with the others and bring the girl." Was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.

For four months she was kept sedated enough so she couldn't move or use chakra. During that time she was treated like a living doll. The leader of the group would feed her, dress her in pretty yukatas, and -must to her own horror- bathed her. She slept on the floor in his tent, and was carried around like some prized possession. If she could of cried she would have, but her senses were too dulled by the tranquilizer to do anything other then stare dumbly into space.

Kinishi, as she would later learn his name, was never cruel to her. He even told her that her team was alive when she wouldn't stop fretting. In some of her 'clear' moments he was gentle and treated her like a rare jewel. It unnerved her to say the least. She would have given anything to go home, but then one _does_ grow used to such attentions.

The young man, for he wasn't much older then eighteen, or so she guessed, had short messy blue-black hair like her own. Only his eyes were a startling crystal blue and held no fear. He knew what he was doing as well as the consequences.

She knew his plan, when she was coherent enough. All kunoichi were taught about such things from a young age. When new villages popped up, they needed new clans. In short, they often abducted female children from the clans of much bigger villages, reasoning that since the villages and clans were already big enough to hold their own they could spare a female to make a new clan. It was a sad fate for those children who were stolen. More often then not they were breed from the moment they could, usually no older then twelve or thirteen.

And she had just turned fifteen, a prime target indeed. Though the children they stole away were usually still toddlers so they could be raised in the village they were to help. Hence why _she_ was drugged.

Finally, the day came when the little group was finished running. Four long months from the time they had captured their little bird. They camped out near a mountain ridge that night, giving her less of the sedative as Kinishi had instructed. The late spring rains were clearing their trails. No one would find them now.

Kinishi came to her that night. Pleased with his treasure. His village and clan needed heirs, and she was perfect for obtaining them. Her powers were strong, as was her body. He was mildly surprised she hadn't been married off already. Then, he took her.

Help, however, came too late. She laid bruised and once again felt the need in her arm. This time, before she blacked out, she saw a blur of whiskers and heard the shredding of flesh. In her dream she saw a large black panther shredding her disgracer to shreds and marveled at how big Yami had gotten . . . for she was sure it was her kitten that had come to save her.

A few days later she awoke in the village of Kohoshi, hurting rather badly and wanting only to sleep. No one could tell her how she got there, but they gave her medicine for the pain or whatever else she needed. They were a rather kind populace and treated her as one of their own.

She did not feel threatened in any way, so she decided to stay until she felt better. Though she knew she was now disgraced and would likely be placed in the cadet-branch if she ever returned home. That was fine, let Neji or Hanabi have the position, she didn't want to deal with it anymore. She was just so tired and too emotionally drained to do anything.

It hurt to walk, or even sit, for the first week after she woke up. The kindly older lady she was housed under told her it was natural and would soon fade. But then came the sickness. Every morning she found herself throwing up her dinner. She began losing more weight then she could replace and felt altogether warn paper thin.

The kindly old lady, Olivia as she was called, began to worry about her young guest when she stopped eating. Then she placed the symptoms and couldn't help but smile. The girl was rather young, though not as young as she had been when she first conceived. Still there was no helping it now.

So it was that Hinata found out the horrifying news. Not only was she disgraced by Kinishi, but now she was carrying his child. Falling into hysterical crying, she cursed Kami for everything he had taken from her. She couldn't . . . she wouldn't, have that bastard's child!

Unfortunately, once again, fate intervened with its own agenda. Olivia caught her as she was just about to cut off her chakra flow and stop her own heart. Never the brave one, Hinata was easily stopped. That did not stop her from pounding on the floor or the arms that tried to hold her. A slap across the face finally put an end to her tantrum.

"You'd kill yourself and your unborn child?! Life is so easy to end, but not so easy to live! Life is a precious gift, it shouldn't be thrown away so carelessly! Would you not even give the new life in you a _chance _to live?" Olivia yelled angrily at the girl before her, she needed the sense knocked back into her pretty little head.

"I can't go home to my village . . . my clan, or my friends! I've been shamed!" Hinata spoke up, holding her cheek. Tears streaming from her lavender orbs.

"That may be so, but you are welcome here little one. You've been given a new life to lead, a new path to follow. You have lost much for it, but Kami doesn't take without giving something in return. You are free now to do as you choose sweetling, and the new life you carry within you will need you to be strong." Olivia held the once again crying girl, soothing back her hair and rocking her like a small child.

"I don't know if I can do this . . . I'm scared." Hinata hiccuped through her tears, finally admitting the truth. Her fist clenched around the front of the woman's kimono for dear life. She felt so small and helplessly lost.

"Shh . . everything will be fine. I know its scary the first time, but it will be alright. I'll help you every step of the way." Olivia hummed a quiet tune to calm the frantic girl.

"Arigato ... Olivia-san." Her sobbing soon calmed to a controlled whimper until she finally fell asleep in the old woman's arms.

And it so it was that the Hyuuga heiress gave birth to twin boys, much to the delight of the entire village, and from the moment she saw their little faces vowed to protect them at all costs.

:End Flashback:

Looking back, she couldn't ever believe she had actually tried to end their precious little lives along with her own. They were her whole world now, and she loved them so dearly. The only question was . . . how long would this forced peace last before they realized she was alive . . . and come to bring her home.

Another long shudder went through her. If she was forced to go back she knew, if not one then both her boys and herself were likely to receive the caged bird seal. And it was only a mater of time until Konoha's Anbu corps traced her. If they hadn't already.

"Kaa-chan? Daijabu ka?" Hizashi appeared at her side, tugging at her kimono to gain her attention. The worried look on his little face nearly broke her heart. The future could wait.

"Daijabu, now let's see about that bath shall we?" She picked him up and placed him on her hip. They were getting so big! Hanishi stood by the hall entrance, thumb in mouth and staring outside. It was dark now, the stars just coming out to twinkle on the snow. Disaster now struck the Hyuuga once again. The look in her son's little eyes should of warned her that something had appeared behind her. Too late. The point pointed with his free hand.

The rat masked Anbu member quickly delivered a smooth hit to the back of her neck, snatching the child from her arms and catching her falling form before she hit the floor.

"KAA-SAN!" Was the unisoned voice of her boys, and then the calm voice of the Anbu nin spoke.

"Rest easy Hinata-sama. You're going home."

She knew no more, her world turning to darkness with the sound of her twins' screams reverberating off the walls of her mind.

**End of Chapter:**

Semi: -snickers- Bet you didn't see THAT coming!

C.L: Sorry folks, CL got stuck so we had to get me unsticked and came up with this. Lots more surprises in the future!

Semi: Stay tuned for chapter Seven! Its gonna be big!

Ele: That's an understatement! -giggles like mad-

Sin: Hush! Don't give it away you baka!

CL: But Ele's right . . .

Semi: Oi, that goes for you to baka kitsune!

CL/Ele: -pouts-

**: Teasers for the next chapter:**

Neji finds out the rouge ninja really IS Hinata, but fate isn't so kind to they Hyuuga's just yet. The Anbu escort Lady Hinata home, however-not without further complications! Hinata wakes to a very surprising sight and receives quite a shock. Will _anything_ go right?

Chapter Seven: "Welcome To My Life"


End file.
